Internet in schools as 'vital as water'

NewZealand: A Palmerston North principal believes the internet is as vital to a school as electricity and water.
Ross Intermediate School is known for its high-end technology and equipment, and principal Wayne Codyre says the internet had a significant impact on students.
"Absolutely, without a doubt, it does."
His comments follow a recent report that showed the internet had made a significant impact on learning and teaching at 75 per cent of New Zealand schools.
The ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in Schools 2011 report, undertaken by Research New Zealand, looked in detail at how technology was being used in schools and its impact.
The report also found that during a typical school week students spent more time using computers and the internet during mathematics, social sciences and English than in any other learning areas.
Like all other schools in the country, Palmerston North schools have embedded the internet and computer systems into the education curriculum.
"A good teacher will still make good progress with a child's learning but it [internet] revolutionises how a teacher can teach," Mr Codyre said.
The internet could never replace a teacher, but it significantly enhanced a child's learning, he said.
This year, 270 students will have their own laptops in the classrooms – half the school – and the other classrooms will have a computer for every two students.

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